NEWS
Albuquerque man accused of pointing laser at BCSO helicopter faces federal charge
Prosecutors say the 47-year-old already had a warrant for his arrest when the incident occurred
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An Albuquerque man faces a federal charge for allegedly pointing a laser at a Bernalillo County Sheriff鈥檚 Office helicopter 鈥� an act authorities say can affect the pilot鈥檚 ability to fly the aircraft.
Jorge Armendariz, 47, is charged with knowingly aiming a laser pointer beam at an aircraft. If convicted, he faces five years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine, U.S. Attorney's Office spokesperson Tessa DuBerry said in a Tuesday news release.
In a pretrial detention motion, prosecutors said Armendariz had an extensive "history of absconding and noncompliance."
"At the time of the laser strikes, Armendariz had an active state warrant for violating conditions of pretrial release in his State of New Mexico case for receiving or transferring a stolen motor vehicle and possession of a controlled substance," the motion states.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, New Mexico had the second-highest number of laser incidents per capita in 2024 and 2025, with 63 and 88 incidents reported those years, respectively. Nationwide, there were 12,840 incidents in 2024 and 10,993 incidents in 2025.
On Oct. 7, a BCSO pilot and deputy were aboard a helicopter, assisting officers on the ground with an operation, when a green laser beam struck the pilot in the eye, according to the pretrial detention motion.
"The laser struck the aircraft multiple times, including repeated hits to the pilot's eyes," DuBerry said.
The helicopter crew tracked the light source using the aircraft's camera and found the laser beam coming from a vehicle in a McDonald's drive-thru on Candelaria and Eubank NE, the motion states.
The laser beam disappeared for a short time before a green light repeatedly struck the cockpit again, according to the motion. Authorities tracked the light source to a house near the McDonald's and saw Armendariz and a woman outside.
Deputies went to the home but Armendariz fled, DuBerry said. A federal warrant was issued for his arrest after a grand jury indicted him, but he allegedly evaded capture for several months.
At the time of the incident, Armendariz was on pretrial release in a case where he was allegedly caught in a stolen vehicle with methamphetamine, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court.
A warrant was issued for Armendariz鈥檚 arrest on Aug. 28 after he didn鈥檛 show up for a hearing in that case. He was arrested on that warrant on April 2.
Court records show that the case was dismissed by prosecutors on April 15. "The State cannot prove one or more elements of the alleged offense(s) beyond a reasonable doubt at this time," court records state.
Nakayla McClelland covers crime and breaking news. Reach her at nmcclelland@abqjournal.com or at 505-823-3857.
